How many fatalities resulted from the two suicide truck bombings in Beirut, Lebanon on October 23, 1983?

This tragic event occurred on October 23,1983 when two suicide bombers in trucks, struck buildings in Beirut, Lebanon, housing American and French service members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF). This contingent of personnel was a military peacekeeping force and operation during the Lebanese Civil War. The attack killed 307 individuals.

Included among the fatalities were 241 U.S. and 58 French military personnel, 6 civilians and two attackers. The two sites attacked included the United States Marine Corps barracks at the Beirut International Airport and the barracks of the French 1st and 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment at Ramlet al Baida, Beirut. An additional 75 individuals were injured.

The first suicide bomber detonated a truck bomb at the building serving as a barracks for Marines, making this incident the deadliest single-day death toll for the U.S. Marine Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jima in WWII and the deadliest single-day death toll for the U.S. Armed Forces since the first day of the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War. The explosives used were later estimated to be equivalent to as much as 9,500 kg (21,000 pounds) of TNT.

Just a few minutes later, a second suicide bomber struck the 9-story ‘Drakkar’ building, a few kilometers away, where the French contingent was stationed.

Perpetrators that were suspected of the bombings included a local terrorist military group, along with some Iranian and Syrian involvement.